Kilgore family tried to save brother killed in fire

The Kilgore Fire Marshall has not determined what caused a fatal house fire in Kilgore on Thursday.

Just before 7 a.m., the fire department was called to a house in the 700 block of Spell Street. It's there family members say 31-year-old Calvin Sickler was killed when he couldn't escape the fire.

Riggins says he tried to save his brother's life himself.

"I kicked the front door in and almost ran in, but the fire blew me back," he explains.

When that didn't work, Riggins says he tried a window.

"I tried to get him out of the house. I still have a piece of flesh on my hands where I tried to get him out of the window. I couldn't get him out," says Riggins.

Around 6:30 a.m. kids inside the home started yelling that the house was on fire. Five kids and three adults were able to make it out before the fire department arrived.

Riggins claims it took fire crews 20 minutes to get to the scene. The fire department says they were there in three minutes.

"The call came in at 6:45 and our first unit was on scene at 6:48. How much time transpired prior to them calling 911... I can't tell you," says Michael Simmon, the Kilgore Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief.

Fire officials say the fire started in the front room, was intense and moved fast. It quickly claimed everything the Kilgore family had.

"What do I have left? I don't have anything left to lose. I lost my brother. I lost my house," says Riggins.

The family has lived in the home for 10 years. The victim, Calvin, was trapped in a front bedroom.

A Facebook post from a local teacher that said the Florida shooting had her so on edge she was actually considering ending her 35-year career in education had us wondering how many other teachers are having that kind of internal crisis.

A Facebook post from a local teacher that said the Florida shooting had her so on edge she was actually considering ending her 35-year career in education had us wondering how many other teachers are having that kind of internal crisis.